Loom control arm



July 1947- K. E. sAN ERsoN ETAL 2,424,058

I LOOM CONTIIKOIL ARM Filed July 17, 1946 INVENTOR. I KENNETH ELSANDERSON LEONARD M. ROGERS mssaa July is, 1941 um'rco mm PATENT orr cc xenne t l i im n o nrdat ud Leonard M. W011, Mala, aulgnors to Draper Corporation, Mala, a corporation of Application July 17, 1946, Serial No. 684,123 serum. (01. 139-224) The present invention relates to weaving looms and more particularly to a control arm structure therefor.

In many types of automatic looms means are provided whereby the loom is automatically stopped upon disarrangementof a harness frame, or upon breakage of a warp thread, or upon breakage or exhaustion of the weft; also means may be provided whereby upon exhaustion of the weft a weft replenishment action is initiated leading to replacement of the exhausted weft carrier with a full weft carrier. Commonly the loom is stopped, or replenishment of weft is imtiated, through the movement of a control arm structure which normally is quiescent but which is mounted for reciprocatory movement and has a part normally held out of the path of a regularly moving lever, usually cam-actuated. When loom stopping or weft replenishment is called for, the mentioned part is moved into the path of the regularly moving lever, whereupon the control arm is reciprocated to effect the desired change in loom operation.

In known loom control structures the devices employed to position the movable part in the path of an actuator or lever have been objectionable in several respects. Known electric control structures for looms have suffered the objection that either such appurtenant structure as holding circuits had to be provided for maintaining flow 'of current in the principal electric circuit after passing away, or disappearance of the call for change in loom operation, or the loom speed had to be reduced to an objectionable extent if reliable operation of the control structure was to be attained. Additionally the structures were comprised of a large number of parts many of which were of frail construction, which resulted in excessive manufacturing costs and also rendered the component parts easily deranged or damaged. Derangement or damaging of the parts resulted in malfunctioning of the structures with attendant undesirable features such as increased idle loom time and loom fixing charges.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the above mentioned and other undesirable features of prior art loom control structures.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a loom control arm structure of sturdy but simple construction which is composed of but few parts so constructed and arranged that damage or derangement thereof is obviated.

It is also an object of the invention to provide an electric loom control arm structure which eliminates the necessity of a holding circuit and its attendant disadvantages.

A further object of the present invention is to provide for looms an eflicient electric control arm capable of more positively performing the usual functions hereinabove mentioned.

Another object of the invention is to provide a loom controLarm wherein the part to be moved into the path of movement of a regularly moving lever or actuator is formed as a self latching armature structure of an electromagnet which is energized upon call for change in loom operation, as for example, loom stopping or weft replenishing action.

The above mentioned objects and others which become evident hereinafter are accomplished by the invention, one preferred embodiment of which is hereinafter fully described in connection with the accompanying drawing of which:

Fig. 1 is a orthographic view of a control arm and other associated loom structure;

Fig. 2 is a view of the electromagnet end of the control arm in the direction indicated by line 22, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3, Fig. 1, showing the relationship of a self-latching armature with respect to the control arm proper and to the electromagnet coil;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the armature structure;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the control arm and associated structures, with a' section of the control arm broken away;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 5-6, Fig. 2, with certain parts removed for the sake of clarity of illustration; and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail view of structure shown in Fig. 1.

' Looms to which the invention may be applied are well known and conventional in many respects and accordingly the conventional parts thereof are omitted or but fragmentarily illustrated in the drawings. Such conventional parts as are illustrated comprise a regularly moving lever or member I supporting a hammer 2, a rock-shaft 3 which is rocked or rotated through a part of a turn when the loom stopping or weftreplenishment is to be initiated, and an arm 4 which may a well known manner to perform desired functions in loom operation. For example, rock-shaft 3 may, optionally according to the type of loom employed, be rocked in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1 to initiate loom stopping, or to initiate a weft replenishing action. Lever or member I is moved to and fro from right to left and tion In of member I2 is suitably formed as best back as viewedinFigQl ina; regularly recurring cycle of movements.

Pivoted to a'rm 4 as by a pin 1 and slidably supported onmember 6 is a control arm 9. The mode of supporting and guiding control arm 9. obviously may be widely varied, but as shown arm 9 may be provided with a' guiding support] means 8 riding on member 6. Attached to or,

formed integrally with arm 9 is a head I comprising depending plate-like members II and I2 interconnected at their top portions as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 to form therebetween a passageway I3 for head l of cyclically moving hammer 2. Member I2 may be partially cut away or otherwise formed to provide a recess 21 situated between opposed portions of member I2 to form'a guideway for an armature structure to be described hereinafter. Also provided on the head III of arm 3, and preferably formed integrally with said head, is an electromagnet coil casing I6 forming 9. preferably cylindrical cavity I1, see Fig. 6, having a bottom wall I8 as shown in Fig. 3. Bottom wall I5 is provided with an electromagnet armature guiding aperture I3. Mounted in cavity I1 is an electromagnet coil 20 of solenoid form having an armature receiving and guiding bore 25 extending therethrough. Covering the cavity and retaining the coil 20 therein is a cover plate 2| which may be secured in place in any desired manner, as by a screw 22 threaded into a tapped hole 23 in the casing I6. Electric leads Y or wires 29, see Fig. 5, extending from the terminals of coil 20 may pass out of the casing at any desired location, as for example, through an aperture 24 provided in the bottom wall I3. These leads may extend to any conventional loom structure provided for indicating necessity for a change in loom operation, as, for example, to an electric weft detector and its associated source of electric current (not shown). Such loom structures are conventional, are well known in the loom art, and do not form a part of the present invention. Cover plate 2|, bottom wall I8 and the portion of casing I6 surrounding coil 20 are desirably made of ferromagnetic material and are so formed and proportioned as to provide, together with the armature to be hereinafter described, a good magnetic flux circuit for coil 20. Desirably, also, the cover plate is formed as shown more clearly in Fig. 3 with a portion extending into the bore 25 of coil .20, for obvious reasons. Slidably mounted in bore 25 and suitably guided for movement therein by the walls of recess 21 and by a face of member II is an armature 3| of a self-latching armature structure 30. This structure, shown detached in Fig. 4, comprises said armature 3|, a cam follower arm 32 having a suitably shaped follower surface 33, and a latch arm 34 having a beveled lower surface 35 adapted for engagement with a detent notch 28 formed in portion I2a of member |2 (see Fig. 7). The armature structure may be retained in position in head III by a retaining pin 40 inserted through bores formed in the two portions of member I2.

Suitably formed on or attached to the lower outside face of easing I6 is a cam 36, Fig. 5, arranged for coaction with follower surface 33 of arm 32 when the armature 3| is moved within the bore 25 upon energization of coil 20. Porviewed in Fig. 5 and Fig. '7 with a latch detent notch 28 for coaction with latch arm 34 of the armature structure to releasably hold latch arm 34 when the latter is moved into position in said notch. v

Control arin 9 and head IO with its associated structure is so arranged and positioned with respect to member'l and hammer 2 that with the armature in its outermost position with respect to the 001120, and resting on retaining pin 40, the head 5 of hammer 2 is entered into passageway I3 and withdrawn therefrom in idle movements as member I and hammer 2 aremoved to and fro in the mannerhereinabove indicated. A dotted outline of the position of head I5 relative to passageway I3 when head I5 is'in the passageway, isshown in Fig. 2. When, however, an electrie current is passed through coil 20, as for example, when a conventional electric w'eft feeler produces a call for weft replenishment or, as in another example, when a conventional electric warp break detector produces a call for stopping the loom, coil 20 is energized and armature 3| .is drawn further into, the bore of the coil. Movement of armature 3| further into bore 25 causes follower surface 33 to engage cam 33, which, being inclined to the direction of travel of follower arm 32, causes arm 32 to move in a helical course about the axis of armature 3|. This produces a helical movement of the entire armature struc-.

ture about the axis of armature 3| and results in latch arm 34 being moved laterally in recess 21 so as to contact portion 2a of member I2. Upon subsequent deenergization of coil 20, armature 3| is caused to tend to move outwardly of bore 25, as by action of gravitational forces, but is permitted tomove in that direction but a very small distance by engagement of latch arm 34 with detent notch 28. Thus, while energization of coil 20 may be but of momentary duration, i. 'e.,

only sumciently long for full movement of armature 3| into bore 25, the armature will be retained in substantially that position by latch arm 34 and detent notch 28. It will thus be seen that the device of the invention will operate to retain an indication of the call for loom control action subsequent to passing away of the actual call itself.

When a rmaturestruoture 30 is moved as a result of energization of coil 2|),a portion of latch causes a partial rotation of rock-shaft 3 through action of connecting arm 4, and this rotation of shaft 3 may through conventional means, not shown, initiate a loom stopping action, a weft replenishing action, or other desired loom controlling operation. Subsequent return of arm 9 and associated parts to the normal quiescent position may be effected in any desired manner, as for example, by reverse rotation of rock shaft 3 which may be effected manually or by known means. This return movement will necessarily occur after disengagement of head I5 from latch arm 34. It is evident that after disengagement of head |5 from latch arm 34, the entire armature structure may move back to normal quiescent position as indicated in Figs. 1 and 5, as, for example, by action of gravitational forces. This return movement of the armature structure is possible since latch arm 34 is moved out of engagementwith detent notch 28 by head l5 prior to initial movement of arm 9.

It may here be noted that the cooperating surface 35 of latch arm 34 and the surface of detent notch 28 may be suitably beveled and inclined, respectively, to aid in more secure latching of the armature structure in active position. This may be desirable in those applications of the control arm wherein relatively severe vibration may be encountered. It may further be noted that member 6 and means 8, together with the linkage comprising shafts 3 and l and pin 1. may cause a slight deviation of head Ill from a truly rectilinear motion, but the extent of this deviation is so slight as to be negligible for all practical pur- DOSES.

From the foregoing description it is evident that the invention provides a simple yet highly effective control arm structure for looms, which will automatically retain an indication of a call for loom control action subsequent to passing away of the call, which can be economically made, and which otherwise achieves the objects of the invention.

Having fully disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention, we claim:

1. A loom control arm structure comprisingan arm, an electromagnet coil and armature on said am, and a detent on said arm cooperating with said armature, whereby upon energization of the coil the armature is moved into operating position and into retentive engagement with the detent and is thereby retained in operating position subsequent to deenergization of the coil.

2. A loom control arm structure comprising an arm, an electromagnet coil on said arm, an electromagnet armature supported by said am and having a latch thereon,

said arm, said armature, latch and detent being constructed and arranged for interaction where- 4 by upon movement of the armature from inoperative to operating position said latch is moved into engagement with said detent and thereby retained in operating position.

and a latch detent on 3. A loom control arm structure comprising an arm, an electromagnet coil on said arm, an electromagnet armature supported by said arm, said armature having a latch and a cam follower thereon, and a latch detent and a cam on said arm whereby upon movement of the armature from inoperative to operating position the cam is engaged by the follower to move the latch into retentive engagement with the detent to retain the armature in operating position.

4. In a loom control mechanism, a control arm, an electromagnet coil casing on said arm, an electromagnet coil in said casing, an armature structure for said coil, said armature structure comprising a latch arm, and said control arm having thereon a latch detent whereby when the armature is moved into operating position upon energization of the coil, the latch detent retains the armature in said operating position.

- 5. In a loom control mechanism, an arm, an electromagnet coil mounted on said arm, an armature structure for said coil having a latch thereon, and latch guide and detent means on said arm whereby said armature is moved to operative position upon energization of said coil and is automatically latched in operative position upon deenergization of said coil.

6. In a loom control mechanism, a control arm, a casing on said arm, an 'electromagnet coil in said casing, an armature structure for said coil having a latch and a cam follower thereon, cam means on said arm, and latch guide and detent means on said arm, whereby upon energization of 1 said coil the armature is guided and cammed into latching position forretention therein upon subsequent deenergization of the coil.

KENNETH E. sANDERSON. LEONARD M. ROGERS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the Payne May 29, 1945 

